


Through Burns and Bruises

by Writer_fangirl9



Series: When Family Is Top Priority [1]
Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Germany, Gore, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, No Romance, Pls no shipping the found family, Shooting, Spinkick/Flytrap a little bit, Spintrap, Violence, What Was I Thinking?, just family love, sibling relationships, stabby stab stab, thats all I have pls, that’s what you can ship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29203296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_fangirl9/pseuds/Writer_fangirl9
Summary: Ivy has made many mistakes in her life, that’s normal, but this time was too far. She had been pushing the boundaries and endangering others because she gosh darn couldn’t think. Thinking, that was the problem. When her impulsiveness puts lives on the line, will she finally learn?!
Relationships: Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep & Shadowsan, Ivy & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Ivy & Player (Carmen Sandiego), Ivy & Zach, Player & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Player & everyone
Series: When Family Is Top Priority [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168712
Comments: 19
Kudos: 19





	1. Mistakes Were Made

Ivy jumped out of her sleep, her guilt weighing down on her, making it impossible to sleep.Too many thoughts clouded her mind, landing her thoughts on one thing.

She shifted in her hotel bed, its loud creaking caused her to glance over to her brothers bed next to hers, him completely unbothered and still deeply sleeping.

Her eyes darted around the dark hotel room before landing on her brother again. His black eye blended in with the dark, making it and his burn marks almost unseeable. He almost looked peaceful, uninjured if it weren’t for the sling that kept his left arm useless, his dominant arm. 

Her reckless actions almost injured her brother. It was too close. And SHE was the one responsible for it all. 

It was her fault 

All of it.

****************************************

“ Ivy, RUN!” Carmen screamed, pinning down a struggling V.I.L.E agent.

She needed to run out of there.

‘ I can make it.’ She was determined. 

Without a second thought she plowed through Spinkick, bashing his head with a crowbar and ignored the fresh blood splattering from his head and onto her shirt as he fell backward. 

She stepped over his almost lifeless body and searched his pockets for a key card, only gaining a groan or two from him as he tried to get up and return a punch, his stubbornness the only thing keeping him conscious. 

Ivy didn’t notice that the stream of blood pouring out of his head wound was staining her pants and leaving splotches on her shirt. Soon enough, he stopped fighting and his whole body relaxed as his eyes rolled back into his head. His struggling and forced breathing stopped, almost making him look peacefully sleeping if blood wasn’t dripping from the front of his head down his neck and shirt.

Ivy never even considered the possibility that she killed a man, let alone payed any attention to the body beneath her feet. She had one objective in mind, and she needed to complete it fast.

After obtaining nothing useful from the downed agents pockets, Ivy sprinted away from the exit and ran deeper into the building, deliberately disobeying Carmen’s instructions.

“ I can make it.” She consoles herself under her breath. 

Ivy rounded a corner and thrusted the crowbar into an unidentifiable V.I.L.E agent’s forehead again, gritting her teeth in an attempt to try not to hear the sickening sound of metal to bone, a sound she was hearing more and more often nowadays.

Stepping over the pool of blood at her feet she noticed her shoes were now a dark red. It never even crossed her mind the possibility of the two murders she had committed that day could have been avoided. The only thing that was on her mind was how she needed to secure the artifact and get back to—

A loud explosion interrupted her thoughts.

“ Zach!”

She had completely forgotten about her brother. She had left him unarmed, harmless, and sitting in their getaway car. She had left him to fend for himself. She had let Carmen down. SHE had let the team down.

The artifact was no longer in her tunnel vision, but Zach instead. 

Ivy retraced her steps and sprinted back the way she came, praying-no- begging for her brother to be alright.

Glass littered the floor, and a blood streak or two could be seen on the walls.

She saw the flashing of red and blue lights in the high windows.

She ran back to where she was before and discovered Spinkick's body was no longer by the entrance. The only tell-tale sign was a pool of blood, which was extremely dangerous for V.I.L.E to leave on the scene.

The building was deserted, no one was there.

No one was there except for Ivy.

Ivy started to panic. The cops were going to find her, she was going to go to jail. Her arms and legs turned to jello before she realized that she would never be left behind. Carmen would never leave her behind, so Carmen must be still somewhere in the building looking for her! 

Ivy quickly took a hold of her thoughts and gained control over her feet. She pressed two fingers to her ear piece and jogged quickly deeper into the building again in hopes to be out of site from the police that were making their way into the warehouse.

The static ringing in her ears told her that contacting anyone was impossible, causing the sinking feeling in her stomach to be stronger. She stopped behind a corner and tried to calm herself. Her lungs were burning from all the running and fighting as well as the situation she was in.

She was all alone.

She was all alone and helpless.

She was alone and helpless without a way to escape.

Ivy desperately tried to fight back tears. She barely cried, not ever. 

She tried to remember the rule her father had taught her when she was really little. 

Is she dying? No. Is someone she knows dying?

‘ Not that I know of.’ She thought grimly before pushing that thought down to collect in the knot of emotions.

She continued on, not knowing the main purpose for going further into the building. About 20 seconds pass and she gets to a hallway with two directions.

“ Right way, is the right way.” She muttered, turning to the right.

To her dismay, she was brought to the end of a hallway.  
‘ Dead end.” She thought glumly. 

This could be the last time she would ever see the outside world, and it would be in an old warehouse with an office in the back. It wouldn’t be long until the cops find her, and once she would be behind bars, she would be an easy target for V.I.L.E to come and take out.

The redhead couldn’t hold in her hyperventilating. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. She inhaled and exhaled in small, shaky breaths.

Quiet, brisk footsteps were getting closer, almost untraceable, but loud enough to know someone was there.

She leaned her whole body against the wall, trying to gain enough stamina to fight back. She clenched her hands into fists and found her knuckles bloodied, though this time from her own blood. 

Ivy pushed her body from the wall and into her fighting stance. 

“ Ivy?!” 

Relief flooded through her as she recognized the person standing in front of her.

“ Shadowsan!?” 

Shadowsan beckoned slightly for her to follow him. 

“ I will let the team know you're safe, but we must evacuate the building quickly.” He said, his face maintaining a serious expression, though Ivy could see the relief and fatherly love radiating from his eyes.

Without hesitation, Ivy followed Shadowsan as he weaved them through the hallways, carefully avoiding police that were scouting the area. They sprinted up the stairs which led them to the roof. 

“ So, V.I.L.E got away, huh?” She said as loudly as she dared as they climbed down a ladder suspiciously hanging from the roof building.

Shadowsan grunted his reply as he skipped the last few steps of the ladder, pausing a moment to secure Ivy was still behind him.

They continued in silence for a bit. Ivy didn’t complain, her exhaust creeping through her body.  
“ We will rendezvous with Carmen at a nearby hotel,” he paused a moment, visually acknowledging the blood splatters that coated her arms and legs. Surprisingly, Ivy was too tired to notice. 

“ We should probably find a coat to cover the blood splattered across your body.” He said casually, as if it was normal sight. To him though, a former assassin, it probably was.

Shadowsan turned slightly and pressed his pointer and middle finger to his ear piece.

“ Player, I have Ivy.” He paused, Player probably responding. “ Understood.” Shadowsan said.

“ Come Ivy, Player has found us an Uber.”

Ivy wearily continued to follow Shadowsan, internally pleading that their hotel wasn’t too far of a drive.


	2. More Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flytraps point of view from the last chapter.
> 
> Spinkick can’t be dead, he can’t be. It’s all thanks to the unforgiving faculty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!

Left, right, punch, block, duck.

Flytrap knew Carmen Sandiego was a tough opponent, but that didn’t stop her from giving everything she had. Out of weapons, she had to rely on her fists this time. Winded, she threw another punch and stepped back. If she was getting tired, Carmen must be too. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Flytrap could see Spinkick struggling to hold his ground against a redhead. Even with him hopping around, she could tell he was favoring his right side instead of his left like usual.

‘ Oh gosh, something is wrong.’ She thought worriedly, blocking a punch.

On their last mission he had landed on his left leg all twisted. He had insisted he was fine, being the stubborn idiot like usual, and begged Flytrap to not tell anyone. He had messed up the last couple missions with a few close calls and didn’t want to be stuck. His stubbornness and pride getting in the way of his safety again. He had wanted to prove to the faculty that he was perfectly capable and useful.

Flytrap pushes Carmen to the floor, jumping a second too late as she was swept to the ground after Carmen kicked at her legs. The V.I.L.E agent was pinned down instantly by the taller women. 

“ Ivy, Run!” Carmen called out.

As Flytrap was struggling she could see Spinkick was sluggish and limping noticeably. The redhead punched him, causing him to stagger backward slightly in visible pain.

Flytrap struggled harder as she watched Carmen’s teammate pick up a crowbar and charge towards him. 

He could have dodged it easily.

He should have dodged it easily.

But he didn’t.

Flytrap’s eyes widened when it made collision with his forehead. She couldn’t muffle her cries as he sunk to the floor.

‘ he’s just unconscious.’ She tried to console herself as she grunted and pushed Carmen off of her back. 

“ Flytrap,” a voice rang through her ear piece. “You must evacuate the area immediately, the bomb has been set.”

Carmen’s accomplice stood over Spinkicks body, probably enjoying seeing the blood pour out of his head and into her shoes before running off into the building.

Flytrap no longer cared about the mission. Shoving Carmen backward she sprinted towards Spinkick. Strangely enough, Carmen didn’t go after her and instead grapple hooked onto a support beam hanging overhead.

Flytrap dunk to her knees uncontrollably beside her friends body. Flytrap ignored the tears gathering in her eyes and assessed his injuries.

She lightly lifted his head and set it in her lap, ignoring everything she had learned in medical training about not moving the injured person. The blood was pouring onto her hands and leaving permanent stains on her mission wear.

“ Flytrap, exit the building now.” Professor Maelstroms voice ringed in her ear.

“ Professor, Spinkick—”

“ What did that idiot do now?!” 

Flytrap took a ragged breath before responding.

“ I think he’s dead.” She said, her voice dripping with unsuppressed worry“ If not then almost.”

“ Leave the building, Flytrap.”

“ What?!” 

“ Exit the building immediately.”

Tears were now streaming down her face as she grabbed her partners wrist and checked for a pulse.

It was faint, but there.

“ I can’t leave him here. Please.” She begged.

There was silence on the line until Professor Maelstrom sighed, “ Fine. I will send one of the cleaners to pick up his body.” 

Flytrap could hear the click of the comm disconnect and gently stroked the limp hand she was holding as a small distraction.

“ You hear that, kit?” She reassured. “ The cleaners will be here soon. Hang on tight.” She said the last part mostly for herself.

Seconds felt like hours. Flytrap could feel her heart pounding, threatening to burst through her chest any second. Her thoughts were spiraling out of control, spinning her head and tilting the area around her. All of the blood seeping out of Spinkick’s wound made her nauseous, threatening her last meal to come up and out of her. It devastated her to see him so helpless. She ripped her pant leg and pushed it to his forehead. He had gotten head injuries before, especially at the academy when he believed he could take anyone in a fight and would constantly provoke the biggest and the strongest recruits. Flytrap had always been their since to try to stop him, but it usually ended with her attending to his injuries, Just like now. 

The cloth quickly was soaked through almost instantly. Heads usually bleed a lot, but this much anywhere is fatal. She payed desperately the Cleaners would find her before it is too late. 

Soon enough, she could hear almost silent footsteps coming towards her. She panicked, blindly thrusting her fist, careful not to accidentally push spinkick off her lap.

The shorter cleaner expertly dodged it and stepped to the side. 

“ The helicopter is on the roof.” He grumbled almost silently.

Flytrap nodded and allowed him to pick up the unconscious boy off of her before headed deeper into the building. 

That was when the explosion went off.

********************************************************

Flytrap rubbed her eyes and slid off the hallway wall and onto the hallway floor. The castle floor was cold and damp, but she was exhausted. 

The helicopter ride had felt excruciating. She hadn't slept in over 24 hours, and the hallway floor was so inviting, but she was worried about her partner so much it left pain in her heart. 

One of the cleaners tended to his injuries slightly, as if they wanted to keep him alive just barely until they could bring him to V.I.L.E Faculty’s HQ.

Flytrap didn’t trust Dr. Bellum enough. Heck, she didn’t trust any of them. Especially now that she was being brought to where they reside. 

The Faculty’s headquarters was only known by a select few, the highest rank of agents. Being one of the newer recruits, Flytrap knew she wasn’t considered to be one. There must be a catch involved.

Right as the helicopter landed, they were met by Dr. Bellum and Countess Cleo. Spinkick was handed over to the Scientist and whisked away into her lab, instead of an infirmary. 

“ You must be tired, we have an extra room that you may take refuge in.” Countess Cleo said with a strange tone to her voice. “ There you may clean up all of the—Blood— you have on your clothes.”

Alarm bells rang in Flytraps head; The Countesses voice had a hint of kindness. It wasn’t safe to go to the room besides, she couldn’t be far from Spinkick.

“ No thank you, Ma’am.” Flytrap said. “ I would rather stay outside the lab.”

“ Suit yourself.” The tall women replied curtly before strutting away deeper inside the castle.

Flytrap was brought through a couple hallways before stopping outside of a door. 

“ Wait for Doctor Bellum.” The taller Cleaner instructed.

Flytrap nodded and leaned against the wall alert and awake. 

*******************************************************

Flytrap blinked her eyes open and let them adjust to the light. It was even darker now, a torch being the only source of light. She must had fallen asleep. She had no idea what time it was. Searching through her pockets, she found her V.I.L.E phone. To her dismay, it was dead.

Flytrap struggled to her feet and peeked through the crack of the lab. Dr. Bellum was nowhere to be seen. Flytrap knew Bellum wasn’t in the lab, it being far too quiet.

She snuck through the hallway, not knowing why  
but she needed to clear her head. Moving seemed to do it somehow. She felt lost. Her best friend, her partner could be dying and there was nothing she could do about it. She refused to believe he wouldn’t make it. He was stubborn enough as it is. If he died, a part of her would die to. She wouldn’t be able to handle it.

She focused on her footsteps, not caring where they took her. Stepping through the twisted and turned Castle walls, she brought her arms to her sides and noticed she was caked in crusted blood, now brown due to it sitting on her for so long.

At the end of a hallway there was a sign that read “ Faculty” in all capital letters. 

Flytrap felt a shudder creep up her spine. She meant to turn around and go back the way she came but something powerful begged her to stay.

Muffled voices drifted through the doors, bringing a creepy feeling along with them. Flytrap strained her ears and desperately tried to pick up what the Faculty were talking about.

“ What are you suggesting we do with our problem.” A Texan accent rang throughout the room.

“ I was looking forward to having another test subject in the lab.” A voice Flytrap recognized as Dr. Bellum.

Flytraps stomach churned at the thought.  
“ Is it really that big of a problem?” A British accent replied, “ They trust each other. Isn’t that a good thing?” 

Flytrap inched as close to the door as she dared. The penalty for eavesdropping on the head of a evil empire couldn’t be that great. 

“ If she hadn't ‘trusted’ him so much we would have the artifact.” The countess said coldly with a hint of sarcasm.

Flytraps lungs gave out at that statement. They were talking about her and Spinkick! She knew there was a catch involved when she was brought to the castle. 

“ Are you suggesting we take them both out?” Roundabout inquired. A small thump here and there suggested he was tapping his cane on the table.

“ Perhaps, perhaps not.” A sinister voice replied. Flytrap could practically see Professor Maelstrom twisting his face in a horrid grin. “ Flytrap has been good to us, barely making any mistakes.”

“ That idiot almost got himself caught again. That Son Of A—” 

“ Spinkicks injuries weren’t all new.” Dr. Bellum interrupted the Coach, “ He has a serious concussion, two fractured fingers, and a possible broken leg.”

“ That stubborn-“

Dr. Bellum cut off Coach Brunt again, “ I for one want—need another test subject. It is beneficial for my studies.” She said with eagerness. 

“ No Sara.” Countess Cleo announced. “ I already ordered 3 more for you. They should be coming in a few weeks.”

“ I don’t want any more animals.” The doctor pouted. “ I haven’t had a decent test subject since I wiped Crackles mind.”

“ He is already in Bellum's care.” Maelstrom announced. “ I approve of you testing on him. It couldn’t hurt V.I.L.E too much.”

Dr. Bellum let out a smug victory cry and went back to typing on her computer, the clicking and clacking reaching Flytraps attentive ears.

Roundabout, who had been quiet most of the discussion suddenly spoke up. “ What about his partner?”

“ She’ll get a new one. We shouldn’t talk about this to her. I’m afraid she has grown quite attached to him.” Maelstrom announced.

Flytrap didn’t hear anymore of the conversation. She regained her breath and retraced her steps back to the lab. She gently pushed open the door, wincing at the minuscule noise it gave off.

Surprisingly, it was unlocked. 

She had done many brave—if not stupid—things today, so she wasn’t going to stop now. Slowly opening the door, Flytrap peeked her head in and saw an unconscious Spinkick laying on a cot in the corner. He had bandages wrapped around his forehead and leg. Blood could be seen creeping its way under the head bandages, announcing that they needed to be changed soon. 

She made her way over to him and took a seat on the bar stool next to the cot.

“ Hey, Spinkick.” She whispered. “ How are you feeling?”

She only received ragged breathing in response.

She awkwardly kissed the bandages wrapped around his forehead and ran her fingers through his hair.

Flytrap whispered assuringly, more directed to herself then the sleeping Spinkick. “ I won’t let them hurt you. I have to go now, I will come later!” Before sleuthing out of the room in fear of being discovered.

If she wasn’t so tired, she would have noticed something very important.

Learning about how her friend was going to be murdered should have sharpened her senses.

If she wasn’t so distracted, she would have seen the eyes peering at her from the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this mess of a chapter! I didn’t have my beta reader this time because of end of trimester duties.  
> :(  
> This I wrote in a tired state of mind after re-watching The Last Airbender so feel free to comment any problems and/or questions!
> 
> Your comments keep me going!!
> 
> If you liked this fix check out my other Carmen Sandiego Fanfics and my others on my dash board.
> 
> Can’t bealive you actually read my notes!!!
> 
> <3,  
> Writerfangirl9


	3. Sheep and German Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivy and Shadowsan are hiding deep in the woods, miles away from the warehouse, but still in Germany. They have lost contact with Carmen and are in desperate need of help.

Ivy slowly trailed behind Shadowsan, focusing on her footsteps, occasionally stepping over a rock or two before continuing the rhythm.

‘ Keep moving’ she replayed through her mind again and again. 

The taxi had dropped them off at a hotel just outside of town, but to Ivy’s dismay, the actual shelter they were going to stay at was just under a mile away. They had to take all the precautions so V.I.L.E couldn’t find them.

She staggered, falling face forward without the energy to regain her footing. Thankfully, Shadowsan expected this, and was already turning around to catch her.

“ We’re nearly there.” He stated concisely.

“ Hooray.” Ivy replied meekly, trying to hide her exhaustion.

It mustn’t have worked, since Shadowsan suggested, “ We can stop for a minute, you must be tired.” Kindness glinted in his eyes, even through the darkness.

Oh really?! Maybe being awake for almost 17 hours, having to fight V.L.E, and walk through these stupid woods would tire a person out.

Ivy must have said that out loud, because she saw Shadowsan raise an eyebrow at the sudden sarcasm before turning his back and taking a few steps deeper into the woods, probably to try to contact someone in the team.

The frustrated grunts coming from his direction indicated it was not going well.

Ivy leaned onto a nearby tree trunk and closed her eyes, much like she did earlier in the hallway of the building. Only this time, she was safe, well—hopefully.

After inhaling and exhaling a few times, Ivy opened her eyes and scanned the area, trying to be more like Carmen and be aware of her surroundings, something she completely forgot to do earlier, when she needed to do it most.

The moon was almost at its fullest phase, sending radiating light that sparkled done on everything. Beams were even able to make it to the floor of the woods, making certain plants appear silverish grey, and provided a natural light that made it easier to navigate through.

Through the grayish tint and her tiredness, Ivy was able to identify the colors around her. The violets at her feet were a faint purple, most of their petals crushed against the dirt due to them being unknowingly stomped on.

She pulled the scratchy, long coat closet around her after a sudden gust of wind caught her off guard. Shadowsan has lent her his coat before their taxi ride to cloak the blood splattered on her shirt, but it didn’t hide the visible blood crusted at her feet and lower legs.

She then remembered how the blood got there. The sickening sound of-

A footstep crunch caught her attention. Shadowsan heard it too, his head jerking to the side. His eyes narrowed, a familiar scowl returning to his face as he assessed the situation.

Clumsier footsteps came closer, the person they belonged to obviously couldn’t be V.I.L.E, but then again, who in the actual heck would be out in the woods at 1 in the morning? At least—Ivy thought it was 1 in the morning, it was hard to tell since her comm. was broken, and her phone wasn’t with her currently.

Ivy balanced her feet and extracted herself from the tree branch, trying to take back control over her overworked body.

Behind the tall shrub on her right, the sound came from. It was too heavy to be a small animal, yet not heavy enough to be a deer. The redhead tried her best to avoid dry, crunchy leaves littering the floor that would give her away as she crept towards Shadowsan. Taking in a silent breath of the crisp Autumn air, she formed into her fighting stance.

Unsure of what to do next, she took a step towards the brush. Its thickness towering over her covered the being on the other side.

A bullet whizzed past her head, barely nicking her ear and colliding with the tree directly behind her. Eyes wide, she froze for a minute before jumping away from the brush. It was definitely NOT an animal, unless a squirrel could man a gun. Gosh, Ivy would have gotten a kick out of the picture of a squirt holding a mini rifle if she wasn’t being shot at.

Shadowsan grabbed Ivy’s arm immediately and pulled her behind him without missing a beat. 

Handing her his communicator he spoke, “ You must be prepared to run, just in case we are outnumbered.”

“ Woah woah, what?! I’m not leaving an old man alone in the woods at night to fend himself off against—“

“ Shut. It.”

The cold words were somewhat of a shock. Normally Shadowsan was calm, maybe just a bit harsh, but he was always collected. His frazzled and hurried words left an unsettling feeling in Ivy’s stomach.

Another shot rang out, but didn’t come through the dense barrier of leaves.

“ Gosh dang it.” An unrecognizable voice could be heard. “ The dagnabbit, stupid, idiotic…” foreign grumbling filled the silence along with the occasional crickets and animal noises, most of the other animals scared off from the noises.

Her instinct taking over, Ivy ignored Shadowsans gestures to be quiet and yelled, “ Hello?!”

“ Wha.. Hello?” Replied a thick German accent, though, in perfect English.

Crashing through the shrub came a tall, quite young man. Maybe a year or so older than Ivy herself, but still young nonetheless. He was tall, looked to be about 5-10 to 6-1’. His black boots, caked in mud rose up to his knees. He had on an unbuttoned red flannel shirt, revealing a plain white t-shirt underneath. His jean pants suggested they were overalls, and were surprisingly clean except for a few mud splotches here and there. They had a brand name embroidered on the left pant leg that Ivy couldn’t recognize, probably because it was in German. In his right hand was a small rifle.

“ Well I’ll be darned!” He stated, eyes widening. “ What are you doing in my woods?!”

“ Your woods?” Shadowsan inquired.

“ Yes, my woods. Well, my Mom’s and Dad’s anyways. Who are you, you don’t sound like you are from around here?” He questioned.

“ We’re, uh, tourists!” Ivy lied, plastering a smile on her face. “ Our car broke down, and our dog, um….Carm—er-Carla, ran out when my dad here,” Ivy motioned to Shadowsan, “ went to go fix the tire.”

Shadowsan stifled a groan at her terrible lie.  
Yet, the boy seemed to believe every word. Gosh, was he naive. He seemed to fully trust two strangers(one covered in blood) sneaking onto his land at night.

“ Wait what are you doing out?” Ivy asked.

“ Oh, some of my sheep escaped. I couldn’t find the last one, so that took me here.”

“ You heard footsteps and decided to shoot into the unknown when looking for your pet sheep?!” Shadowsan said, his voice filled with an emotion Ivy was too tired to identify.

The boy gave a sheepish grin, making him look even younger as he removed some of his blond hair out of his eyes. “ To be honest, you gave me quite a scare. Nothing my Bersa Thunder .360 ACP and I couldn’t handle!” He motioned proudly to the gun in his hand, “ In these woods, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pennywise himself.” 

He joked despite Shadowsan’s serious expression quickly shutting down his laughter. He cleared his throat, “Sorry about uh, shooting at you by the way.” He apologized awkwardly, trailing his dusty boots across the ground.

Clearing his throat, Shadowsan asked, “ Would you consider lending us a communicator? We have been turned around and need to contact the rest of our family.”

“ Um, I actually don’t have one on me right now, but you can come back to my house, if you want.”

Shadowsan looked like he was restraining himself from lecturing the boy on stranger danger and whatnot, but they needed help, so he decided against it.

“ Will your parents be okay with you bringing strangers into your home?”

“ Oh naw, they won’t care. Well, they wouldn’t. There not home right now, so it’s just me taking care of the farm. With the help of the farm hands that is.”

Shadowsan nodded.

“ What about your sheep?” Ivy asked.

“ It’s okay, i'll send one of the farmhands to go look when we get back. Besides, we’re not too far. I’m Otto, by the way.”

“ I’m Greta, this is my dad, Akio.”

Otto nodded his head in a greeting before sweeping his arm in a motion to follow him and taking the lead.

Ivy once again had to walk, her legs feeling like jello, threatening to give out any minute. The uneven ground seemed like it was taking jabs at her feet, as if it wanted her to fall flat on her face and swallow her up. Otto was right though, the farmhouse wasn’t too far from where they were earlier

“ Here we are, Home sweet home!” Otto said with glee.

When Ivy pictured the farm earlier, she pictured one barn and maybe a pasture of grass. But this was way grander than that. There were multiple barns, a tree orchard that stretched as far back as she could see in the darkness. There were shrubs shaped into many animals, and so, so much more, but Ivy could only take in that much at a time. The sun was starting to peek since a yellowish tint was pushing its way in the blue sky. Huh, guess it wasn’t 1 in the morning.

“ Here, you all look tired.” Otto said, mostly referring to Ivy, though exhaustion was slowly creeping on Shadowsan’s face and settling into his wrinkles. “ I can escort you to a place to stay, at least until the morning.”

Shadowsan was going to protest, but the sheer excitement at the thought of sleeping on Ivy’s face stopped him. “ That would be so kind of you.” 

Otto led them through a rose garden, surrounded by shrubs and centered by a tall fountain. They were led past a colossal apple tree and a huge tomato patch and stopped at a medium sized house, with a couple more to its sides. 

If Otto was tired at all, he didn’t show it. “Welcome to one of our guest houses,” he said. “It is equipped with extra clothes, and toiletries made for our finest guests.”

“ Thank you.” Shadowsan nodded.

“ Aw, no problem. I’d be up soon, anyway.” He said politely. “I have to go wrangle some sheep. Tootles.” Handing Shadowsan a key, he jogged off and disappeared around the corner, cloaked by the shadows.

Ivy’s eyes couldn’t stay open anymore, the last thing she could remember was laying on a bed made out of pink rose petals, and falling into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this messy chapter! Heads up I might not post because guess what!? It’s the end of The trimester! I will be taking a break over spring break so I don’t know when I will post. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!  
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> The formatting was messed up a bit by my errors :(
> 
> I hope u enjoyed! Please leave a comment and a kudos if you liked it!!
> 
> Make sure to read my other Carmen sandiego Fanfic: The Wind Will Blow You Home At Some Point!


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